Request  101004028590

I request the following information held by the local authority. Unless otherwise stated, please provide the information as it stands on the date this request is processed.

Section A – Taxi Driver Licences

1. How many current taxi driver licences are in force within your local authority area?

2. Of those licence holders, how many have criminal convictions recorded or disclosed as part of the licensing process?

3. Of those licence holders with criminal convictions, how many were granted a taxi driver's licence following a committee determination where Police Scotland recommended that the application be refused?

4. For each case identified in question 3, please provide:

a) the date the licence was first granted;

b) whether the licence remains current;

c) the committee decision date; and

d) a summary of the criminal convictions considered by the committee (redacted or anonymised where necessary to comply with data protection legislation).

If any of the information requested in question 4 is considered exempt because it would identify an individual, please provide the remaining information in anonymised form.

Section B – Taxi Operator Licences

1. How many current taxi operator licences are in force within your local authority area?

2. Of those licence holders, how many have criminal convictions recorded or disclosed as part of the licensing process?

3. Of those licence holders with criminal convictions, how many were granted a taxi operator's licence following a committee determination where Police Scotland recommended that the application be refused?

4. For each case identified in question 3, please provide:

a) the date the licence was first granted;

b) whether the licence remains current;

c) the committee decision date; and

d) a summary of the criminal convictions considered by the committee (redacted or anonymised where necessary to comply with data protection legislation).

If any part of this request is considered exempt, I ask that you provide the remainder of the information that can be disclosed and specify the exemption(s) relied upon for any information withheld.

Section C – Short Term Let Licences

1. How many current short term let licences are in force within your local authority area?

2. Of those licence holders, how many have criminal convictions recorded or disclosed as part of the licensing process?

3. Of those licence holders with criminal convictions, how many were granted a short term let licence following a committee determination where Police Scotland recommended that the application be refused?

4. For each case identified in question 3, please provide:

a) the date the licence was first granted;

b) whether the licence remains current;

c) the committee decision date; and

d) a summary of the criminal convictions considered by the committee (redacted or anonymised where necessary to comply with data protection legislation).

If any part of this request is considered exempt, I ask that you provide the remainder of the information that can be disclosed and specify the exemption(s) relied upon for any information withheld.

Response 27-08-2026

Section A – Taxi Driver Licences

1. Section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) – information already available – is applicable here. We are pleased to confirm that the public register is accessible via this link: Current Applications and Public Register or https://www.moray.gov.uk/law-and-licensing/licensing-and-licences/current-applications-and-public-register/

2. Please note that this information is not in reportable format, nonetheless, all would have gone to committee where convictions were disclosed unless an applicant disclosed an unreportable conviction in which case it would have been redacted and never referred to. Of license applications with reportable convictions, there are 9 on the attached table.

3. Please see the table shared for Section A, question 2 above; Based on this table only two fit the criteria here are. Both were after considering an adverse representation based on a spent conviction. An exemption to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act allowed the committee to consider them in relation to a taxi driver licence application only. Spent convictions cannot be referred to for any other purpose so would not be disclosed. Please note that licences last for 3 years.

   Please also note that as spent convictions can only be referred to within the application process, such matters are dealt with in confidential sessions. Given that the convictions are spent any identifiable information is confidential.

4. Information that can be released has been so under Section A, question 2 above. To provide further details would readily identify individuals and as such is exempt under Section 38(1)(b)

Section B – Taxi Operator Licences

1. Please see the public registers as linked in Section A, question 1 above

2. Zero, nonetheless, as with Section A, question 2, there may have been convictions that were divulged but were not reportable, as such they would have been redacted or not recorded.

3. Zero

4. N/A, since the answer to Section B, question 3 is zero.

Section C – Short Term Let Licences

1. Section 25 – information already available – is applicable here. We are pleased to confirm that the public register is accessible via this link: Short Term Lets Licence https://www.moray.gov.uk/law-and-licensing/licences-permits-and-permissions/property-licences/short-term-lets-licence/

2. Zero

3. Zero

4. N/A, since the answer to Section C, question 3 is zero.